Action toy device



Oct. 22, 1940. sowm 2,218,772

ACTION TOY DEVICE Filed Dec. 20. 1937 W 660265 50 yimv 50 views, I is a platform or base upon which one This cut away portionalso-provides easy access 50 Patented Oct. 22, 1940: i i g I Q r g 2,218,772 ao'rloiq TOY DEVI-CE 7 George Sowin, Bel-wick, Pa. Application December 20, 1937, Serial No. 180,715

4 Claims. (0146-119)- This invention relates to a mechanism for structure 20 form a housing in which the drive operating movable jointed figures. mechanism is located.

There is obtainable a variety of jointed mov- Extending transversely of the device is a supable figures which may be operated in an amusport 22 upon which is mounted one or more ing and entertaining'manner by the manipulation drive bobbins or spindles 24. The bobbins 24 are of a string or strings running throughout 'the held upon bearing washers 26 by means of a bearbody of such figures. These figures, in the ing pin 28. Each of the bobbins 24 has a pin so nature of amusing and entertaining toys, are eccentrically located in its upper face. To the composed of body. head and limb members. compin 30 may be attached the figure operating cord prising a plurality of sections movable with i 32. i

.relation to each other and held in assembled The. bobbins 24 may be driven simultaneously position by means of a cord, attached to end. from a. transverse shaft 33 rotatably mounted in sections, running through the head, body and bearing b c 34! y providing P ive limb members, and extending through a limb drive means between the shaft 33 and the bob-'- member into accessible position so that the bins 24, t e s may be driven in sy osame may be grasped for manual manipulation. nization. It is however, more desirable to avoid -These-figures are mounted on a small, platform p sitive Synchron z tion between the several or base which the operator usually holds in one bobbins 24 and to this end the drive connection hand while he manipulates the cord with the b ween the shaft 33'and the bobbins 24 simply 80 other hand.- Whenever the tension on the cord compri es e 35 which P m a certain 2 is relaxed the figure partially or completely colamfllmt'bf s pfi e beiween and'the shaft lapses, but if the cord is brought under. tension, 33 nd t e bo bins 24. the figure stands erect and may be caused to Th Shaft 33 i rotated y a driv wh el 36 move one or more of its members. Someof the attached to h end thereof and adapted 1 0 figures of this type now available are operated ceive 8, ,belt 31 operatively connected with an 25 through a single cord, while others may require electric-motor 38. The motor 38 is a 'self-cool- V the use of two or more cords to produce more 8, p d motor p m on O dicomplicated movement. nary lighting current. The motor 38 has It is an object of this invention to provide a attached e o c a p e b 39 a a ed to 8Q mechanism adapted to operate one or more of be fastened to pp 40 by means f a nu th bo described movame figures. To t and bolt 41. In order to maintain the motor end the invention comprises simple means f r 38 at low temperature a fan 452 is attached to the mounting one o or f u h m b figures motor shaft 43 and is adapted to directair into and simple, inexpensive and compact mechanism the casing ventilation holes 85 f manipulating the operating cord or cords An auxiliary motor 45 is provided within the The nature of the invention will be more fully casing operating the device with battery understood by reference to the accompanying rent in localities where other electric supply is unobtainable. It will be understood, of course, drawing which formsa'part hereof and in which that a drive belt will, in such cases, connect 0 1 is elevatmnal e the the motor 45 with the drive wheel 36in proper device I driving relation.

2 15 an enlarged P View with parts The platform l0 and the front of the mechabroken a to Show underlying structure: nism may be constructed of suitable sheet metal Fi e 3 is an e la ed si e le at on w stock and I have found it desirable in some cases with the casing wall removed and portions. to provide a ply-wood sub-platform immediately broken away to show underlying structure. under the platform It. The platform ill may With more particular reference to the accomextend from. the front to the rear of the caspanying drawing, in which like'reference numering with parts cut away at 48 to provide clearals indicate like parts throughout the several ance for the motor 38 and the drive wheel 36.

UNITED STATES PATaN'r omcc or more jointed movable figures I! may be for lubrication. mounted. The platform Ill lsbuilt upon a struc- To the rear of the casing and hinged thereto ture comprising sills l4, beams 48 and upright at 41 is a cover member 48 comprising a top porsupports l8. These supporting members totion 49 which is in a plane above-and substangether with the platform l0 and the encasins tially parallel to the platform It, and inclined face member 50. The face member ill of the cover is cut away or notched at 8| to accommodate the base 52 of a jointed movable figure l2. Immediately in front of the notches il in the cover are slots 53 which extend through the platform member 10. These slots permit the passage of figure operating cord 32 tov the interior of the mechanism where the end thereof is passed around the eccentric pin 30. In order to keep the operation cord or cords 32 under proper tension during the entire operating cycle, a spring means 55 is utilized. The spring means has one end thereof attached to the operating cord 32 and the other end thereof attached to a pin 55 which extends from the support member 22. This tensioning element 53 may "be sim ple and in the form of an elastic rubber band or a light coil spring;

It is believed that the operation of the device is clear from the foregoing description. In utilizing the invention for demonstrating or operating movable figures of the type referred to, the figure, for example the figure it used for illustration in the drawing, ismounted upon the platform 3. To mount the figure it is only necessary to amx the front end of its base 52 to the platform Ill by means such as the screw 58 at the front end thereof. The rear end of the figures base may vbe likewise attached to the platform I 0 but this is not necessary in view of the construction of the cover 48 in which the notched portions 56 embrace the rear end of the figure's base for holding it in place. The figure operating cord 32 is passed through theslot 53 and the end thereof is attached to the eccentric pin 38. Upon rotation "of the shaft '33 by the motor 38, the bobbins 24 carry the pin 30 in a circular path thus alternately releasing and drawing tight the operating cord 32. As a result of this movement the figure I2 is caused to move as hereinabove stated. It is obvious that more than one figure may be mounted on the platform in at one time and that they may be caused to move simultaneously although not necessarily in synchronization.

Should the device he used to operate a jointed movable figure having two or more operating cords, such figure may be secured to the platform and each cord may be attached to a separate pin 30 on different operating bobbins.

It will be obvious that the invention is capable of various applications and that extensive modifications in the specific construction may be made 7 without departing from the spirit thereof, and it is therefore desired not to limit the invention in any particular other than by the limitations imposed thereon by the terms of the subjolned" platform having slots therein, and a notched cover above and to the rear of said platform.

3. A device for operating movable figures comprising a housing having a figure supporting platform at one end thereof to which the front end of a figure base may be attached, a cover above and to the rear of saidplatform, notches in the front edge of said cover for holding the rear end of a figure base, figure driving mechanism within said housing, and an operative connection between said driving mechanism and a. figure upon said platform.

4. A mechanism for demonstrating jointed figures of the type having a base on which is mounted a body composed of a plurality of sections joined by an operating cord, said mechanism comprising a housing having a figure supporting platform on the top thereof, means for removably securing a figure base to said platform,

an aperture in said platform to permit passage of a figure operating cord into said housing, an eccentric in said housing for receiving the free end of a figure operating cord, means for main- 

